Look, they’re not a sponsor-but I’ll go ahead and say it. If there’s a way for me to afford eating at The Capital Grille, I’m all in. I mean-they have Halibut and Yukon Potatoes with sliced almonds and sweet diced tomatoes…

This is a tough spot. I’m uncomfortable with rooting for the Bayhawks, as they WERE the Baltimore Bayhawks but were eventually moved to Washington before coming back to Annapolis and changing their name to “Chesapeake.” Of course, my other options include teams from Boston and New York, and I’m CERTAINLY not rooting for them.

I know what else I’ll be rooting for…AWESOME INJURIES. Awesome injuries like the one recently picked up by Cincinnati Bearcats star (Roland Park) Laura Simanski; who you may know better as “The Future Mrs. Glenn Clark.” Laura was apparently playing recently in Ocean City, and her mom did the right thing and posted photographic evidence of an AWESOME injury on Facebook…

If you regularly read WNST.net…or the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog…or Deadspin…or Kissing Suzy Kolber…or Mister Irrelevant…or Press Box…or DCRTV…or the Bible…wait, no, maybe not the bible…you may have heard that I don’t much care for the Washington Redskins.

But as time has gone on, my opinion has softened.

So to all of those who have been offended by my previous comments regarding the Skins, I offer something new…

It’s a Happy Tuesday for me because after checking out a BUNCH of work at Artscape Sunday; I think I’ve decided what I’m going to purchase. I Twitpic-ed some of these the other day.

Apparently Robert McClintock is originally from Wilmington, Vermont. Somehow he might be even more Charm City than any of the rest of us. I’ll be purchasing BOTH his American Visionary Art Museum and Brewers Hill prints…

And I don’t know too much about Robert Florio, but I know I’ll be picking this piece up from his last game…

Once again, I find myself saying “at least they didn’t bother wasting too much energy in this one.”

Of course, they could have had the decency to get it over quickly-instead of forcing the handful of folks who bought tickets to stick around awhile.

Chris Tillman nearly no-hit the Texas Rangers before the All-Star Game. What a weird weekend that was in Arlington. I’m surprised they didn’t have an earthquake in The Lone Star State themselves instead of it happening in Germantown.

Miguel Tejada and Adam Jones combined to go 0-8 and left a combined 7 men on base. You could have checked the box score (coming up next) to get that info, but we all know I’m going to re-direct you to an attractive gal instead.

Matt Albers and Cesar Izturis were kinda okay last night. So we’ve got that going for us. Which is nice…

Is this the part where we stop praising Juan Samuel for the fact that the players looked like they were playing harder for him? Or do we keep going with that?

The O’s roster will be in flux for the next couple of weeks, with plenty of decisions to be made. Following Scott; the Birds expect to get Mike Gonzalez, Brian Roberts, Kevin Millwood and Matt Wieters back in the semi-near future; and Jim Johnson could return just after that.

Josh Bell figures to be a roster casualty at some point; but others on the team will either have to be traded or released to make room for everyone. There’s a few guys on the team I might even be willing to consider pitching in and helping them pack their bags.

Which was first reported via Twitter by Fanhouse’s Ed Price. I usually try to stick to reporting things like “they’ve got really good paella at Artscape” on Twitter myself (you can follow us @WNST).

Earlier this season, the Orioles gifted the Mets INF Justin Turner-but I doubt they’d be willing to do with Guthrie. I’ve heard Ruben Tejeda’s name thrown around in trade rumors thus far by a few folks. Tejeda is hitting .212 this season with 4 doubles and no home runs. Don’t we already have him on the roster?!?!?

If I’m Andy MacPhail, I’m more than willing to consider any trade offer for Jeremy Guthrie at this point. I’m just also reasonable in my understanding that I’m not fleecing ANY team in MLB for Guthrie.

Unless of course it’s Woody Guthrie; as the ability to trade a man who died 43 years ago would probably be enough to get an impressive trade return. Plus…I mean…he did “This Land Is Your Land”…

And before we move on from the Orioles, a few things worth pointing out…

-The Birds are back in action tonight against the Tampa Bay Rays; as Jake Arrieta faces Matt Garza at OPACY. First pitch on MASN2 is at 7:05pm. Matt Garza looks a lot like Greg Maddux every time he faces the Orioles, so I don’t have too much hope.

-Michelle Obama is going to throw out the first pitch tonight. The Orioles have sent out a bunch of security notes about getting to the stadium early. Do they think people are actually going tonight? I know it’s Jason Berken t-shirt night, but I’m pretty sure that even with heightened security there won’t be too much trouble getting into the stadium.

-If you missed Rays PBP voice Andy Freed (a Towson native) this morning on “The Morning Reaction” on AM1570 WNST; make sure you head over to the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault today here at WNST.net to check it out. Also on the show this morning, we took a look around Major League Baseball with Newsday’s Ken Davidoff; and we were joined in-studio by Fearon Wright of the undefeated Baltimore Mariners-as they prepare for the AIFA Championship Bowl Sunday at 4pm against the Wyoming Cavalry at 1st Mariner Arena. They’re both in the Audio Vault as well.

Marc Bulger wore #10 with the St. Louis Rams; but Troy Smith will be wearing that number at McDaniel College. I’m not saying Bulger will be “stalking” the number; but like The Miz told Sheamus last night on WWE Raw (Edit from GMC: Yeah, I watched…and it was actually pretty good last night); “Every beath you take, every move you make, I’ll be watching you.”

Bulger knows that Troy Smith could be dealt or released before the Monday Night Football opener at The Meadowlands; which would allow him to re-take the Number 10 from the former Heisman Trophy winner.

On the flip side, I don’t think there’s a scenario where Ken Hamlin gets his number back from Dawan Landry. Unless maybe he has a spare DeLorean lying around to offer in exchange…

(Edit from GMC: There was a DeLorean at Artscape. Had Doc Brown showed up and asked me to roll out with him, I would have been GONE…)

A lot of folks were worked up by the comments Joe made about Marc Bulger after his autograph signing this weekend. I wasn’t.

One of the reasons I said I WASN’T over the moon about the Ravens acquiring Bulger was because I didn’t think it was the right thing to do for the team’s chemistry and establishing Flacco as “the guy.” Most NFL players would probably tell you that salary isn’t relevant; but in this case-I don’t think it is EVER okay for a team’s backup QB to be making more money than the team’s established, unquestioned starter.

I know for certain that Joe Flacco, Troy Smith and John Beck had a VERY good working relationship. Does that mean Marc Bulger can’t step in and also be part of that? Not necessarily, but it isn’t a guarantee he will be either. He said the right things in his conference call last week, but this is still a guy who has been a Pro Bowl QB during his career and will bring a ton of pride with him to Owings Mills.

I think things will be fine. As I’ve said before, they’ll be especially fine if Marc Bulger never takes a regular season snap in purple and black. Had Kyle Boller been so fortunate, he’d have been remembered in a much better light in town.

In a related story, before I ever got together with “The Luckiest Dang Gal on the Face of the Planet”, I considered dating Behati Prinsloo (Thanks Totally Crap/Busted Coverage!)…

Oh, and Antwaan Randle El-you’ve played for the Washington Redskins and Pittsburgh Steelers in your career. I’m glad you didn’t come to Baltimore. It would have been more difficult to root for you than it is to root for the Orioles.

If you missed Rex Snider’s TREMENDOUS chat with the future Hall of Fame QB Saturday night during WNST’s “Curing Cancer One Call At A Time” marathon to raise money for the Cancer Center at Harbor Hospital; make sure you head over to the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault today to check it out.

I’ve spent the better part of the 2 years since I moved back to Baltimore from Phoenix extolling the virtues of Boldin; who has absolutely TREMENDOUS for the Arizona Cardinals during his career. If you didn’t listen to me, I’d hope you would listen to Kurt Warner. I know I always did.

There are a slew of other interviews from the marathon this weekend in the Audio Vault; including Ravens LB’s Dannell Ellerbe, Tavares Gooden and Jameel McClain; Ravens exec Eric DeCosta, as well as Olympic figure skater Kimmie Meissner, ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian, former tennis star Zina Garrison, former Terps guard John Lucas and former Governor of the Old Line State-the great Robert Ehrlich. All of those interviews (and more) are also available in the Audio Vault.

This is BAD news. I knew ticket sales were slow; but having only around 30,000 tickets sold at this point is really dreadful.

It would be okay for there to be empty seats in the upper deck when this game happens next weekend; but to have the majority of the stadium empty would reflect poorly on the city’s hopes to get World Cup matches as part of the USA bid for 2022 (or 2018).

I sat in a mostly empty RFK Stadium to see Team USA face Costa Rica in a World Cup qualifier last fall. I’m well aware that not every soccer match in every city is going to be sold out-but some cities have a better soccer pedigree to fall back on. DC is one of them. Baltimore is not at this point. We need to build the evidence that we are. The atmosphere for Chelsea-AC Milan last year started that, but there needs to be more.

An empty stadium to see the UEFA Champions League winner face another major European power will not be compelling evidence that the city is ready for the biggest sporting event in the world. Hopefully there will be an uptick in the next 10 days, but I have a bad feeling here.

This is a great read about how Muhtadi was given a chance to work with Cards DL Darnell Dockett, Minnesota Vikings TE (and former Morgan State Bears star) Visanthe Shiancoe and former Philadelphia Eagles RB Brian Westbrook this offseason thanks to a recommendation from Cardinals strength coach John Lott. It looks it could pay off in Muhtadi getting a real look at making the roster when the team reports to Flagstaff for Training Camp later this month.

I’d really encourage you to read this story today. In fact, if I could encourage you to do any two things today, it would be to 1-read this story; then 2-figure out ways for me to get Caitlin Hixx’s attention (Thanks NextRound.net!)…

Folks whose opinions I value seem to split on exactly what this means as far as Hathaway’s likelihood for staying at UConn. Should he leave UConn, he’d have to give up his spot-which is considered one of the most prestigous gigs for an Athletic Director to get. Should he stick in Connecticut; he’d likely have to wade his way through sanctions (and considering what happened at USC they could well be major) surrounding Jim Calhoun and the Huskies’ basketball program.

It’s certainly a 50-50.

We discuss potential sanctions for a bunch of schools (including North Carolina and Florida) during this week’s D1scast, which is available now in the Audio Vault. A quick plug for my buddy Patrick Stevens-whose site is now JUST D1scourse.com; having got rid of that pesky “Typepad” that made introducing him quite the mouthful.

And finally, I leave you with this.

This week’s “Greatest Song of All Time This Week” is a bit off the map. I hadn’t heard of Chiddy Bang before this weekend; but apparently they blew up thanks to “Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory”, a show I will admit to enjoying the time or two I’ve still poked over to MTV. The song is a cover/sample/interpretation(?) of MGMT’s “Kids”…

It’s a Happy Thursday for me because Drew and I were discussing our (high school) alma maters this morning; and I found out some interesting things.

You may know that Drew graduated (reportedly) from Glen Burnie High School. What you may NOT know is that there are a number of other significant former Gophers, including former Florida Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Tony Saunders (who was on with Rex Snider yesterday here at AM1570 WNST); Kansas City Chiefs OT Branden Albert and singer Toni Braxton.

I am a proud Perry Hall High School graduate, and if you check our Wikipedia page; we have plenty of notable alumni as well. Former Delegates Alfred Redmer and James Ports; Tonja Walker from “One Life to Live” and “General Hospital”; and CNN’s Reggie Aqui. Oh, and there’s another one…Craig M Horlacher. Not familiar with Craig Horlacher? Let’s see what Wikipedia says about Craig…

This is the first sort of “clarity” we’ve received about what exactly is being considered by the Iron Man, Andy MacPhail and Peter Angelos. This is a logical role, although the question of what exactly Cal would be “advising” still comes to mind.

The easy answer would be “personnel”, as despite Cal’s incredible business accumen, I doubt he’s getting involved with the organization to give his ideas for how MASN can help market Adam Jones.

An organization would Cal Ripken involved for the advice he can offer to baseball players and regarding baseball players. He has value in Sarasota offering advice about fielding and staying healthy (Felix Pie should be the first player he talks to), but he also has value in the Warehouse telling Andy MacPhail “you know, I just don’t think Garrett Atkins fits the bill for what we’re looking for.”

Of course, now we’re entering the potential world of having “too many chefs in the kitchen.” Andy MacPhail is responsible for baseball decisions; but no one REALLY believes Peter Angelos has completely removed himself from that area. The organization is set to hire Buck Showalter as manager, and EVERYONE who knows ANYTHING about Buck Showalter has confirmed that he is going to have to have a hand in baseball and personnel decisions, if not more than that.

Now there’s a chance Cal Ripken joins that group.

Look, I don’t think ANYTHING bad can come from having Cal involved with the organization; and clearly they can use as much help as they can get in the baseball operations department. But this could end up being a combustible situation.

Jay points out in his column that MacPhail deserves some credit for “selling high” with Sherrill. I had no problem myself with the trade-as it appeared that the team got two reasonable prospects back in Josh Bell and Steve Johnson.

If we’re being completely fair though, Bell and/or Johnson need to produce at the big league level for us to TRULY say this was a good trade. Otherwise, it was a trade that cost the team a closer ahead of an annual tailspin.

As far as those who think the Orioles should try to re-acquire Sherrill for the 2nd half of the season are concerned, well….okay. Sherrill may be well served by returning to a no-pressure role in Charm City (maybe a 7th inning role); but I wouldn’t be in a rush to run out and bring back “Flat Breezy.”

As far as whether or not I thought George Sherrill would ulimately struggle at Chavez Revine?

-After missing Mike Gonzalez yesterday, we missed Billy Rowell this morning as well. Damn. BUT-if you missed Rich Dubroff from the Carroll County Times or Golf.com/SI’s David Dusek live from the British Open at St. Andrew’s with Drew Forrester this morning-make sure you check it out today in the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault here at WNST.net.

-I found out this morning Sidney Ponson retired from professional baseball. Is this news? Did we know this before? How did I miss this? So long “Sir Sid”…we’ll always have…the memories???

Which is about the most common theme I can think of when it comes to this football team.

The Ravens BEFORE acquiring Anquan Boldin were a team that was very good and had a chance to compete to win the AFC North. The Ravens AFTER acquiring Anquan Boldin are a team that has a REAL chance to get to Dallas for the Super Bowl.

Like I keep saying, just because they’re a Super Bowl CONTENDER doesn’t mean they’ll WIN the Super Bowl. The Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets are Super Bowl CONTENDERS as well.

This is the part where I’m supposed to say “that’s why they play the games.”

Which doesn’t surprise me at ALL. We’ve all seen it. It doesn’t mean the Ravens came up with a perfect policy to fix the problem (Edit from GMC: I think it’s far from it), but fan behavior and unruly crowds HAVE been a problem at McDaniel College. That’s really not arguable.

Now, if Brooke Erickson comes to Training Camp next year, I don’t care what policy is in place. There’s going to be trouble with unruly crowds (Thanks COED Magazine via Busted Coverage!)…

When the Ravens acquired Marc Bulger, it was so widely assumed that Troy Smith would be dealt that we basically just started putting together a 53 man roster without including him.

But with the Philadelphia Eagles apparently likely to hold on to Michael Vick; the one realistic trade scenario that was presented appears to be gone.

The Ravens will NOT just be giving Troy Smith away, no matter how quickly some fans would like to see him go. If he isn’t traded, he and Beck will be set for a battle for the #3 QB job…a battle that Smith would CLEARLY be the favorite to win.

It isn’t popular necessarily, but it’s reality. Troy Smith might not LIKE being the team’s 3rd QB-but he might not have a choice. It might be the only job available.

And Troy Smith might very well be the best option for the Ravens as a 3rd QB.

We’ll have to wait and see what quarterbacks get hurt between now and Week 1. That would clearly impact where Smith could possibly end up.

Like I said yesterday, I think this is a great thing. I have said for some time that Phelps should be more visible with his charity and community involvement here in Baltimore; as he is likely the most recognized Baltimorean worldwide.

But with no offense to Michael-if I had my choice; I’d probably prefer to get my swim lessons from Lisa Angeline (Thanks NextRound.net via Uproxx!)…

Some of my feelings towards Ricky Dobbs are similar to my feelings towards former Morgan State Bears guard Reggie Holmes. I just really enjoy watching some college athletes-and Ricky Dobbs is ABSOLUTELY one of them.

There’s a new @DobbsForHeisman Twitter account that is pretty awesome. Not quite as awesome as getting a response from the Old Spice guy on YouTube, but it’s still pretty good…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CijzuweLK4I[/youtube]

And by the way, Patrick and I posted a new D1scast this week discussing his preseason Top 25 Football poll, the new ACC TV deal, and why hitting “Reply All” isn’t always a great idea. Make sure you head over to the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault to check it out!

I understand that the Terps will make a bunch of money from this series-and that’s important. But as I said on Twitter last night (follow us @WNST), it offers NOTHING football-wise. It’s a bit of a no-win; and I’m not sure how many recruits will be overly impressed by watching the Terrapins get pummeled by 35 points by the Longhorns at FedEx Field.

Now, playing a game in Austin (or Dallas, or Houston, or San Antonio) WILL get the next Maryland football coach (be it James Franklin or whoever else) in front of recruits in The Lone Star State. That IS a good thing.

And as I mentioned before, money is a factor. Cue AC/DC….

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je7MqES4Wfk[/youtube]

And finally, I leave you with this.

I get a lot of questions about some of the music that’s played on the show. I figured I’d share a couple of the songs I get a particular number of questions about. One is “French Navy” by Camera Obscura…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3CkfvYMCWM[/youtube]

Another is “I Just Want the Girl in the Blue Dress to Keep On Dancing” by Mike Doughty. At least the title isn’t too long…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9GzLOk52Wo[/youtube]

If you want to know about anything else we play on the show, feel free to let me know.

It’s a Happy Wednesday for me because for the first time ever, I’m going to name CO “Greatest Song(s) of All Time This Week”.

And in one of those historic moments-I’m going to name both a hip-hop and a country song.

(Edit from GMC: Insert your own joke here about “that just means you’re replacing your six pack with a 40 in your pickup truck” or something like that. But be sensitive in the process. We’re always appropriate here.)

First, I will admit that my love for Hootie & The Blowfish might make me jaded, but Darius Rucker is ABSOLUTELY one of the greatest things to have ever happened to country music. This is “Come Back Song”…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIVtvgc8BPw[/youtube]

On the flip side, a lot of folks have said a lot of things about Kanye West in recent years. Not among them would be that his new single “Power” isn’t really freaking good…

I legitimately watched MAYBE six outs of the ASG last night. I was watching “Wipeout” on ABC, then flipped over to see Ubaldo Jimenez get a double play to get out of the 2nd; and I tapped out to go see “Despicable Me.”

So…my thoughts on “Despicable Me” are that it was GOOD…but your kids will enjoy it more than you will.

Thoughts on the All-Star Game? It happened. Brian McCann may have helped himself, as the Atlanta Braves have at least a chance to reach the World Series. As far as Ty Wigginton is concerned, he’ll always be able to tell folks he was a Major League Baseball All-Star.

Kudos to “GNicks1024″ on Twitter (you can follow US @WNST) for the response of the day to Angelos’ statement:

Steinbrenner on Angelos “his name is as synonymous with losing as anyone to ever put on…well anything”

I think there’s a relevant discussion about the reaction to George Steinbrenner’s death in comparison to what the reaction would have been had the news been yesterday that Peter had passed away.

Not that I think that Peter will necessarily see the moment as a sort of “A Christmas Carol” situation and will suddenly wake up and decide that he needs to be a better person/baseball owner. But I guess there’s at least a hope that maybe “Ebenezer Scrooge” Angelos will see that just because your legacy looks bad right now, it doesn’t mean there’s no hope for you to be remembered in a different way at the end of your life.

Maybe.

He’ll have a long way to go to be remembered positively here in Charm City.

Well, we had hoped to catch up with Mike Gonzalez this morning, but we missed him. Hopefully he’ll hook up with Thyrl Nelson later today.

Guests who DID appear on “The Morning Reaction” today with Drew Forrester included John Feinstein (Washington Post), who previewed the U.S. Open and also discussed LeBron James and George Steinbrenner with Drew. Check him out at FeinsteinOnTheBrink.com and pick up his new book “Moment of Glory.” Former Oriole Ken Singleton-now a Yanks TV analyst for the YES Network also joined Drew to remember “The Boss.” Those interviews can be heard in the Audio Vault as well.

And before we move on from the Birds, I want to address Roch Kubatko’s note that the Orioles are interested in Mark Prior…

“TO DO WHAT?!?!?!? CERTAINLY NOT TO PITCH, RIGHT?!?!?!?”

Andy MacPhail’s undying fascination of players he was involved with in the Chicago Cubs organization has AT BEST been unhelpful for the organization; and has arguably HURT the organization. This….this is absolutely INSANE.

The policy basically states that autographs are only available for children 14 and younger, and that players will only sign autographs after the morning sessions during Camp; none after the afternoon sessions. In fairness, the team had no REGULAR autograph signing sessions in the afternoon; but players would often wander over to the crowd in the past following the PM sessions.

Here’s what REALLY matters to me. If Nina Senicar were to show up at Training Camp, can I still get an autograph from her??? (Thanks Guyism!)

The reality is that there’s nothing wrong with a group of incoming seniors at Eastern Tech wanting to come over and grab autographs from Terrence Cody and Joe Flacco. In fact, that demand is EXACTLY what the organization should want.

Clearly there has been trouble with adults trying to bullrush kids for the chance to breathe near Sam Koch or Edgar Jones. I understand the organization’s need to address that. But there is a risk that if a group of high school or college students that WOULD have come out to Camp chooses NOT to come to Camp because they feel like they aren’t welcome to get autographs.

I’ve always thought that setting up some sort of “picture booth” would probably be the right way to do this. What’s popular with young people now is getting a “picture” with a pro athlete or celebrity-mostly so they can post it on Facebook. Hell, even I have an old picture with Ray Lewis somewhere amongst my Facebook pics. The difference is, there’s no real value in a “picture” to anyone besides the person who is IN the picture-so the unreal demand to get multiple signatures on multiple pieces of memorabilia.

It gets rid of the folks who are pushing to get autographs so they can sell them on eBay. It gets rid of the folks who want 10-15 things signed.

It still allows adults to get face time with the pro athletes they love. In fact, the Ravens could even handle all of it in-house with a photographer, and post the pictures at their official website; which helps their brand even more moving forward.

Ravens VP Kevin Byrne joined Drew this morning to explain the policy-if you missed it, make sure you hit the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault here at WNST.net to check it out.

This is a very good thing. I’ve said ever since he dominated the 2008 Olympics in Beijing that Phelps had some level of responsibility to return to Baltimore and be visible and involved in the community.

I know he’s been visible at Ravens games; and his Foundation has done some things for the community. But I haven’t been OVERLY impressed with his dedication (or his team’s dedication) to making that a priority.

You know what I HAVE been overly impressed with? Jenna Pietersen (Thanks Uncoached/Busted Coverage!)

This story is crazy if you haven’t been following it. The Iroquois Nation plays in the World Championships every 4 years, but there is a passport issue this year that is preventing them from being able to fly into the United Kingdom. They don’t want to have to get U.S. passports because they have laws that protect them as a sovereign nation.

It’s unreal.

Speaking of unreal, how does GEICO keep making awesome commercials? The Randy Johnson snowball commercial is a CLASSIC…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yenuvSUKugc[/youtube]

And finally, I leave you with this.

Apparently this is some sort of riveting video of Terrell Owens getting dunked on at Rucker Park in Harlem that a lot of folks are worked up about. I’m clearly not the target audience for this video. (Thanks With Leather!)

If I chime in on LeBron James, does that officially mean that EVERY columnist/blogger in the world of sports media would have dedicated print/type to the subject?

I will admit that I have much less moved by the LeBron James saga than the large majority of this country. I was unmoved by his free agent courting process, I was unmoved by ESPN’s “The Decision” special, I was unmoved by his decision to bolt Cleveland for Miami, and I was unmoved by Dan Gilbert losing his mind Thursday night.

I will also admit that rarely am I particularly moved in any way by a subject in sports that doesn’t garner any sort of emotional investment from me. With no offense to the Boston Celtics or Los Angeles Lakers, my level of involvement in the NBA Finals was minimal at best. If I was home and the games were on, I watched them. I certainly did not plan my month of June around making sure I was home to see Kobe Bryant go up against Paul Pierce.

I have no emotional investment when it comes to LeBron James. I have enjoyed watching him play at times (his masterpiece against the Detroit Pistons in the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals was special), but I have never been much too concerned about what he was doing on or off the floor.

Apparently I’m one of the few.

The most compelling thing about the LeBron saga for me has been the reaction-both in Cleveland and across the country. Be it fans burning LBJ jerseys in “The Comeback City” or Jesse Jackson forcing himself into the topic, I have been intrigued by all of the attention that has been placed on the subject.

Heck, even my partner on “The Morning Reaction” Drew Forrester has been inspired to talk about the NBA, a subject I couldn’t even ask him to discuss the other 11 months of the year.

Obviously the most irrational reaction has come from the shores of Lake Erie, where sports fans have not only burned jerseys; but have made much more dangerous threats and have compared the man they previously called “The King” to their other most despised sports figure-former Baltimore Ravens majority owner Art Modell.

Also amongst the reaction have been the inevitable comparisons to heartbreak-or potential heartbreak-in other cities. For example, Yahoo! Sports’ Les Carpenter (formerly of the Washington Post) wrote a column comparing James’ decision to depart Cleveland to the decision Cal Ripken made in 1988 to re-sign with the Baltimore Orioles.

It’s a fair comparison. Both were local products who achieved great success early in their career with their hometown team. There are also key differences.

Had Cal Ripken walked away from Charm City following the 1988 season, he would have been doing it in an era where fan reaction would have been much more difficult to gauge.

There were no sports talk radio stations in Baltimore in 1988. Blogging didn’t exist. Only the columnists at the Baltimore Sun and Washington Post would have REALLY had a chance to express the feelings about Ripken’s decision in a way that could have been knowledge to the man who would eventually become a Hall of Fame-caliber player.

There are also career differences-as Cal Ripken had helped lead the Birds to victory in the 1983 World Series, while LeBron James had never reached the mountaintop with the Cavs. Cleveland fans are starved for a championship at this point considering the many near misses of not only the Cavs, but also the near misses of the Cleveland Browns and Cleveland Indians over the last 25 years.

Part of the angst felt by Cleveland fans certainly has something to do with the fact that they had to be convinced James would be part of the solution to finally end the city’s title drought. In reality, it’s hard for fans in ANY city in the country to really understand the mental makeup of a fanbase that hasn’t claimed a major pro sports title since 1964. Heck, in Baltimore alone we’ve won 5 titles since then, despite having only two pro sports-one of which was missing for over a decade.

However, I don’t necessarily think it’s unfair to try to consider how we’d feel in the situation. It’s with that in mind that I offer this hypothetical, which may or may not have any real validity in the big picture.

Let’s imagine that the Baltimore Bullets never left town. Instead of moving the team to Washington, Abe Pollin was granted an expansion team in DC and sold the Bullets to local ownership. Let’s also consider that instead of the Bullets franchise winning the 1978 NBA Championship; the “Washington Wizards” expansion team won the title.

Stay with me.

Let’s continue with the hypothetical and say that the Baltimore Bullets franchise during the 80′s and 90′s had about the same success level as the team that ACTUALLY moved in the nation’s capital did. The Bullets/Wizards franchise made just one playoff appearance between 1988 and 2004-a 1st round sweep at the hands of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in 1997.

Now let’s consider that in the mid-1990′s, the team had moved out of the clearly defunct Baltimore Arena and into a new building, potentially where M&T Bank Stadium now sits. The building is now known as the “Under Armour Center”, but was previously known as “PSINet Arena.”

Still with me? I hope so. I’ve laid the groundwork for the “Baltimore Crabs” (the NBA still forced a name change due to the violent nature of the name “Bullets”); a team that has existed since 1963 without winning a NBA Championship and has at times struggled to survive given the organization’s struggles and the level of pro competition in both Baltimore and DC.

Now, let’s have that organization meet a significant player. Let’s say that Towson Catholic graduate Carmelo Anthony decided that instead of going to Syracuse, he would follow in the footsteps of fellow Catholic League star Juan Dixon and could commit to Maryland. During the ’02-’03 season; ‘Melo would join with Steve Blake and Drew Nicholas to lead Gary Williams’ Terrapins to a 2nd consecutive NCAA Championship and then bolt to the NBA.

Look, I said this was a hypothetical. I probably should have said “dream sequence.” But let’s not split hairs here. I know Carmelo was BORN in New York and has always been fascinated with The Big Apple, but let’s pretend he was MORE fascinated with staying home. It works better here.

Being one of the poorer teams in the ’02-’03 season, the Crabs obtained the #2 (or #3) overall pick in the NBA Draft; where they were able to select Carmelo after the Cavaliers selected LeBron James.

Suddenly, a franchise with no direction and no hope becomes a team with a local star player-a player that would quickly develop into a perennial All-Star and would lead his team to the playoffs year in and year out.

Games at the Under Armour Center are now sold out before the season after previously being attended at O’s-like rates. Businesses near the Inner Harbor boom 50+ nights a year when the Crabs are at home. Crabs jerseys with the Number 15 on them are as popular sellers as Ravens jerseys with the Number 52.

On top of all of that, the Crabs really put things together in 2010-2011, and Carmelo eventually leads the Crabs to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history-where they unfortunately lose to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Did you stay with me?

It’s the summer of 2010. The Baltimore Crabs have acquired some solid players, but were fortunate to get past the Miami Heat in ’11 because Chris Bosh was hurt early in the season. With a healthy Bosh teaming with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, the Heat are again viewed as the significant favorites to win the East. Amare Stoudemire had a stellar season for the Knicks, and rumors swirl that New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul will join him at Madison Square Garden to try to make a run at the Heat.

Carmelo Anthony is now facing free agency. He’s beloved in Baltimore, where his family and friends have enjoyed watching him play night in and night out. The people of Baltimore view him as an icon, but he’s not sure he can get over the hump and win a championship given the commitment level from ownership.

With all of that in mind, Carmelo bolts. He signs a max deal to join Amare and Chris Paul in New York, where a welcome party is held in Times Square and he’s given a key to the city by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Now here’s the question.

How do you feel?

Are you burning a jersey in the street?

Are you calling Carmelo a “coward” or a “traitor” or “Benedict Anthony”?

Are you ready to picket outside the Carmelo Anthony Youth Center?

Or are you willing to say “he’s still a hometown guy, and I’ll always be grateful for what he did here”?

I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer.

The reality is that I might be closer to “burning a jersey in the street” than I would be to “thanking him for the years he gave to the city.”

How would you react? How would Baltimore have felt if this were OUR star?

It’s a Happy Thursday for me because I realized earlier this week that I forgot to post the AMAZING 4th of July scene from The Sandlot. I know I’m 4 days late, but deal with it. This is the greatest 4th of July moment in pop culture history…

And yes, while I was out on Navy Pier Sunday night watching the fireworks in Chicago; I DID put “America The Beautiful” by Ray Charles on my IPod. Immediately followed of course by “This Is Our Country” and “Pink Houses” by John Mellencamp. Don’t try to tell me I don’t love America.
Let’s see what everyone has to say…

And as I said last night on Twitter (follow us @WNST)…“At least the Orioles didn’t bother wasting too much effort in this one.“

It’s really hard to put a wrap on this one last night. Max Scherzer was really good, and the Birds really never had a chance. Brad Bergesen gave up 14 baserunners and was fortunate to only be charged with 4 runs.

It was exactly the type of effort you’d expect in Birdland. And by that, I mean it was a loss.

Which everyone knew, but will still wait for it to be official. The only other real options were to either let Jason Berken or Mark Hendrickson make a start. With both of those guys having been effective, it makes no sense to screw with what they’re doing right now.

Tillman gets the chance to prove he should stick, at least for one night. Of course-facing a lineup with the likes of Vladimir Guerrero, Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz may not be the best way to do that.

-The O’s are back in action tonight; opening a 4 game series against the Texas Rangers at the Ballpark in Arlington. Jeremy Guthrie faces Tommy Hunter at 8:05 tonight on MASN2. Brian Matusz, Chris Tillman and Jake Arrieta go the rest of the weekend for the Birds against Scott Feldman, Matt Harrison and C.J. Wilson.

-Congratulations to our “Apologist of the Morning”, WNST.net’s own Tom Clayton. Tom suggested the Orioles package Jeremy Guthrie and Koji Uehara or Julio Lugo to get Chris Davis from the Rangers. I couldn’t agree more. Of course, I’m reasonably certain ol’ Koji would first have to prove that he could SURVIVE the Lone Star State to make it happen.

Sadly, the Orioles just don’t have the veterans required to obtain high-level prospects from anyone in baseball. They have the exact opposite: they have prospects that could HOPEFULLY land them some established veterans from other teams. Credit to Tom Clayton for already accepting the award, as picked by “The Great Arbitrator” Drew Forrester.

This would certainly make sense for Philly, as they are in a tough spot when it comes to Michael Vick. They are probably going to HAVE to acquire another quarterback; and Troy Smith’s game is probably more similar to Michael Vick’s than a lot of other QB’s the Eagles could acquire.

But it’s still a logical move. And it shouldn’t be a move that costs the Eagles much. After signing Marc Bulger, the Ravens are going to have to move a QB; and they know John Beck isn’t getting them anything. The Ravens MIGHT be able to get a 6th or 7th round pick because they sense the Eagles have a need, but the Eagles know the Ravens have to make a move.

And also yesterday, the team announced that they finalized a 3 year deal with 6th round pick Ramon Harewood; which they agreed to last week.

Sergio Kindle and Terrence Cody remain unsigned, but with the New York Jets signing 2nd round pick Vladimir Ducasse yesterday; we should start to see the dominoes fall amongst 2nd round picks; and those deals should be done well before the Ravens report to Westminster.

Of course, with no President in place; I’m not sure what exactly the search committee will be doing. The word is they’ll be discussing the qualities that make up a good Athletic Director. I get the feeling Gary Williams’ first addition to the conversation will be “they won’t be Debbie Yow.”

College Park isn’t the only place where they’re looking for an Athletic Director. They’re looking for one at Towson as well. If you missed Tigers interim Athletic Director Ted Zaleski Jr. today on “The Morning Reaction” on AM1570 WNST; make sure you head over to the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault here at WNST.net today to check it out. Other guests this morning included:

-Catonsville’s own Jeff Nelson (XM Radio), who went around the world of baseball
-Former Orioles Play by Play voice Michael Reghi (now with WKNR Cleveland), who gave us the pulse of “The Comeback City” before LeBron James potentially rips the heart from the town
-PFT’s Mike Florio, who talked all things NFL-including Ben Roethlisberger and JaMarcus Russell
-and Baltimore Municipal Golf’s Jon Ladd-who previewed our upcoming putting contest.

And finally, I leave you with this.

For all of you weirdos who have been clamoring for it, here’s the video of me shoving 12 hot dogs down my gullet in 10 minutes. Some of you still owe us money for Harbor Hospital and Rex Snider’s “Curing Cancer One Call at a Time” marathon next weekend; PLEASE make sure you get it over here to 1550 Hart Rd. I can’t “stomach” the idea of having done this to myself in vain…

I guess we DO need to address that Millwood went just 5 innings last night, giving up 6 runs (5 earned) on 8 hits against an Oakland team that’s roughly as capable of hitting as some of my young cousins. Granted, there was unbelievable trouble in the field-but Millwood wasn’t good.

Will it significantly hurt his trade value moving towards July 31? I doubt that. I was never convinced that Andy MacPhail was going to be able to fleece another organization in a Millwood deal, unless somehow Millwood had stunned everyone with a 10-0 start and sub 3 ERA.

There will still be teams who will want a veteran starter to try to help their run to the playoffs. Plenty of teams in fact. Someone is going to give up SOMETHING for Millwood-and I’m guessing it might be a LITTLE bit more than Chris Ray. Not MUCH more, but a little bit more.

Trading Millwood is not going to improve the future of the franchise in Baltimore. But it will get them SOMETHING…hopefully something that matters at least a little bit.

I’m personally hoping we can trade him for Susan Coffey (Thanks Barstool Sports!)…

It was a little funny listening to Juan Samuel say that Scott was going to try to leg it into a triple if it didn’t leave the yard. Funny because we all know Luke Scott isn’t going to be confused with Pete Rose any time soon when it comes to “hustle.”

There’s good news. Felix Pie is apparently going to be ready to go if Scott ends up on the DL. So…did you see the mistake Corey Patterson made last night? Expect more of that soon!

(Edit from GMC: Hopefully not. But I’m way to realistic to be too hopeful.)

Did you miss Nathan this morning with Drew Forrester on “The Morning Reaction” on AM1570 WNST? Make sure you head over to the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault here at WNST.net NOW to check it out! Other guests this morning included:

-Great American Champion Joey Chestnut, who gave me some hot dog eating tips ahead of his pursuit of a 4th straight Nathan’s Famous 4th of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest title Sunday in New York.
-Dan Steinberg from the Washington Post’s “DC Sports Bog”, who re-hashed the John Riggins MASN commercial controversy I stirred up last week.
-Baltimore Blast Coach Danny Kelly, who went around the USMNT and all things World Cup.

A few other O’s-related notes before we move on…

-Congratulations to our pal Steve Melewski, who claimed another “Apologist of the Morning” title today, as selected by “The Great Arbitrator.” I’m still convinced that Brian Matusz is going to have a bright future in Charm City myself; but to say his season hasn’t been “disappointing” is absolute apology.

-The O’s are back in action tonight, trying to wrap up back to back series wins against the A’s. First pitch at Oriole Park at Camden Yards is at 7:05pm, the game can again be seen on MASN2. Trevor Cahill goes for the A’s against Jake Arrieta and the O’s.

As long as “T-Sizzle” has a good season, none of this will matter. If he struggles; his failure to report to Owings Mills will be something that fans and analysts alike will bring up all year.

John Harbaugh clearly wasn’t happy Suggs wasn’t there; but he handled it the best way possible. Suggs should have been at 1 Winning Drive; at least for SOME of the OTA’s. It’s a simple gesture. Maybe he’s doing enough work in Arizona that it won’t matter, but maybe he isn’t. We just don’t know.

I have a pair of tickets for Saturday night’s game at Unitas Stadium in Towson; for the first person that emails glenn@wnst.net with “I want tickets” in the subject.

If you don’t have plans for Saturday night-it’s worth going over and checking out the game. The girls play early evening, followed by the guys. These are the best high school lacrosse players in the country; and they will be stars of the college game for years to come.

I’d be there, but I DO have plans Saturday night. Sadly, nothing more than looking at pictures of Paula Prendes from FHM Spain over at Guyism…

Last week, Yow, the University of Maryland‘s athletic director the last 16 years, announced that she will be leaving Maryland to take the vacant athletic director position at NC State University, the school where her family has a long and prestigious history.

Yow will look back on her time at College Park with great memories.

“I’ve been grateful to have been there. I’ve been blessed to be Maryland’s AD for 16 years.”

Since she made the decision last week, Yow has been flooded with responses wishing her the best on a new endeavor.

“Terrapin Nation’s been pretty awesome. I’ve received probably between 150 and 200 kind and gracious notes about the 16 years together. Im very apprecitative of that and their understanding about my need to get closer to my roots and the family.”

Yow said it will be hard for her to adjust, given how much time, effort, and heart she has put into rebuilding the athletic program for the Terrapins.

“But you don’t do what I do for a living sustaining for 16 years walking away for without any emotion,” Yow told Drew Forrester on “The Morning Reaction” Tuesday morning.

Yow said that this chance was a once in a lifetime opportunity and she couldn’t pass it up. She even said that she has had these offers come her way before, and she turned them down. But not NC State.

“I’ve already had these opportunities [with] Kentucky and Baylor. I couldn’t because of how I feel about the Terps. It had to be NC State. That was pretty much it with the history my family has here.”

Debbie’s sister, Kay, was the coach of the Wolfpack’s girls basketball team for 34 years, winning over 700 games in her career.

A Naismith Hall of Famer, Kay became diagnosed with breast cancer in the late 80′s and battled the disease for over 20 years. With it recurring within the last couple years, Kay Yow finally succumbed to the disease last January, 2009.

Her younger sister, Susan, was the first All-American on the girls basketball team in the school’s history. And her cousin, Virgil, is the coach at nearby High Point University.

Yow also felt like NC State needed her, and with Yow’s demeanor, she felt like she had done enough at Maryland and it was time to move on to another administration that needed her help.

“Some of us like to do this for a living…we get a lot of joy out of trying to find out what the needs are, and trying to provide for thse needs,” Yow said. “That’s probably the art of trying to achieve at the highest levels.”

During Yow’s time at UMD, the school won twenty national championships.

And already, she likes the atmosphere she is in with the new staff she is working with, and she said that with some new people coming into Maryland’s administration, that could have had an impact on her making the jump to Tobacco Road.

And when asked if she sees any similarities between NC State and when she took over a sanction-laden Maryland program years ago, Yow said that there really isn’t a correlation between the two, and if there was, she wouldn’t know it yet.

“I don’t think I’ve been here long enough to draw comparison like that. It’s like comparing two jobs of anybody. The traditions are different, the culture is different, so is the history. So its not apples to apples. It’s not going to be an event..it’s going to be a process. Maryland was a process and still is a process.

When Yow took over at Maryland, the school had a deficit of over 50 million dollars in its athletic department.

16 years later? It’s down to 5.5 million, and Yow says that they have balanced the budget every year in the last ten.

Yow really didn’t see it as a big deal. It was just another hurdle that had to be jumped in order for her to do her job well, and to help the coaches do their jobs just as good or better.

“I didn’t have a choice. If your going to do the job, you have to do the whole job. It was the thing that I had the least interest in, and the least passion for, but was the thing that mattered the most initially.”

“But it was a prerequisite to building the program is to prove that we could manage ourselves fiscally. As those years ran by…it really changes peoples’ willingness to cooperate with you.”

Now that she is leaving Maryland, if you had to nitpick her time at College Park, there isn’t a lot to point out. But the elephant in the room would be her relationship-or lack thereof-with the one coach that was before her time at Maryland-head basketball coach Gary Williams.

Williams and Yow had their back-and-forth relationship drag on the past several years. The two have butted heads over graduation rates and the success of the program, and when it came to education in particular, Yow said that she won’t ever apologize for making education a priority.

“Gary is Gary. I think the thing we talked the most about was graduation rates. I cant apologize for wanting good graduation rates.”

And while she had a battle with Gary in the Washington Post several years back in which it appeared Yow called Williams out on several issues, Yow says that she has to give Williams credit for turning the program around this year on the court and in the classroom, where Williams’ program graduated 100% of its players and is poised to do it again next year.

“We turned the corner last year. Now that’s a change. I’m very proud of it, and it really had something to do with my decision to nominate him for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame…and to submit paperwork to the campus to put his name on the court at Comcast.”

“Do you do that for someone you don’t respect especially when you’re on the way out?”

Now Yow will have new problems to deal with, but she still feels at home. And she will continue to feel that way until the next time her old employer plays her new one in any sport.

“I’m very familiar with all this. It wont seem odd to me at all. Unless NC State is playing the Terps, that’s who I’m going to be pulling for.”

I’m going to try to do this the right way, because there are a lot of elements to this.

The first time I saw the commercial for the new incarnation of the “John Riggins Show” on MASN, I felt uncomfortable.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVCO5vodVho[/youtube]

Having seen it 4-5 more times this week, I’ve gotten to the point where it is absolutely stomach-turning.

Let me start by saying that I understand why MASN filmed a commercial with John Riggins in Baltimore. The point of the commercial was to put him on a football field. MASN has an official partnership with the Baltimore Ravens (Comcast SportsNet partners with the Washington Redskins), and John Riggins’ relationship with Daniel Snyder has frosted since Riggins was dismissed from Snyder’s Red Zebra radio operation.

Filming a MASN commercial for the John Riggins Show at FedEx Field simply wasn’t an option. Not after Riggins took to YouTube to put together a series of YouTube videos like this…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcH9jASAbhY[/youtube]

The simple solution may have been to take Riggins over to RFK Stadium and film the commercial there; but RFK doesn’t have football yardage painted on the field. They’d be filming a commercial at a soccer stadium. Still probably a better option, but not ideal.

And clearly, MASN hoped to promote not only The John Riggins Show-but also their Baltimore Ravens “coverage” by showing M&T Bank Stadium in the background. Seeing the stadium is also a reminder that Training Camp starts soon, and fans in Baltimore will be packing “The Bank” for exhibition games that can be seen live on MASN.

That’s where my defense of them will end.

The fact is, there’s nothing okay about filming a John Riggins commercial at M&T Bank Stadium. There’s nothing okay with mixing purple colors and Washington Redskins highlights. There’s CERTAINLY nothing okay with using an audio clip that is CLEARLY designed to sound like “Hail to the Redskins” on top of a commercial that includes a stand-in that just so happens to be a dead-ringer for Art Modell.

The fact is, no one in the District of Columbia will care or be offended by this commercial one bit. Mostly because the handful of real sports fans in DC are indifferent to the Ravens. The handful of real sports fans in DC hate the Dallas Cowboys, but don’t much care about other teams. The majority of sports fans in DC are transient; and root for more than one team. It isn’t particularly surprising to bump into a sports fan in the District that wears a Tigers hat and a Red Sox shirt.

That’s just the way their market works. Certainly, they care about the Skins much more than they care about any other franchise in their city-but there are a number of folks in the District, Northern Virginia and Prince George’s County that would admit that they probably follow the Ravens as their 2nd team, and pull for the Ravens after the Redskins season ends. (Not a low blow Redskins fans, just a fact.)

No one in DC is angry about seeing John Riggins walking around M&T Bank Stadium. It just doesn’t matter to them. It’s similar to the god-awful “Battle of the Beltways” marketing MASN does. MASN uses weekends like this to promote the fact that they carry BOTH of the area’s “home teams.” They mesh Bob Carpenter, Jim Hunter, Jim Palmer and Rob Dibble in a broadcast booth-send mascots for both teams to the games, and celebrate the two teams as if they were basically just the American League and National League versions of each other.

In DC, no one is bothered. A large number of fans in DC root for the Baltimore Orioles, whether they also root for the Washington Nationals or not. It isn’t offensive to Nats fans to see the Oriole Bird at Nationals Park. It isn’t offensive to hear Jim Palmer dissect John Lannan (or that Strasburg fella) in the broadcast booth on their home broadcast.

In DC, there’s a feeling that the two really ARE both “home teams.”

MASN has clearly capitalized on that, understanding that Washington is simply a larger market than Baltimore. With Strasburg mania making the Nationals suddenly more marketable than they’ve ever been before, MASN is clearly invested in Washington. They’re moving Scott Garceau’s show earlier in the afternoon to make prime room for Riggins’ show, which can only be heard on the HD3 signal of WTOP on a daily basis. They’re doing it simply to compete against “Washington Post Live” on CSN.

This isn’t about MASN putting John Riggins on the air. I think putting radio shows on TV is dreadful programming myself, but they’ve chosen to go that route. They’ve also chosen to market to Washington, as their network extends into Washington.

I’ve accepted all of that.

But what I WON’T accept is what a slap in the face the John Riggins M&T Bank Stadium commercial is to fans in Charm City.

We AREN’T transient. We DON’T root for the Redskins when the Ravens aren’t playing.

In fact, judging from the response to first annual “I Hate The Redskins” show on AM1570 WNST last year (we’ll be doing it again this year, trust me); I’m not the only man in town whose attitude of the team that wears Burgundy & Gold is one of absolute rage.

John Riggins is walking around M&T Bank Stadium in front of the purple seats that are owned by the people of Baltimore. Those are seats that are owned thanks to unbelievably hard work by folks in a blue-collar city. Redskins fans could never possibly understand that.

In Baltimore, we DO NOT HAVE TWO HOME TEAMS. Despite the small group of people that choose to root for the Washington Capitals (and do NOT count me amongst them), we DO NOT CARE for the Washington Redskins. It ISN’T okay to see the Washington Redskins celebrated in Baltimore. It ISN’T okay to see the Washington Redskins promoted at M&T Bank Stadium.

There is leadership within both MASN and sadly the Baltimore Ravens that won’t fully understand that because they AREN’T from Baltimore. They accept that the Pittsburgh Steelers are a rival, but they don’t understand that the Washington Redskins are despised at an almost equal level.

The sense of “why would Ravens fans care about Washington” previals amongst those who aren’t from this town.

Call it “little man syndrome” or a “Napoleon Complex” or whatever you want; but it’s just a fact. We aren’t okay with Washington or the Redskins here. They’re not welcome, and we will NOT celebrate them.

It’s why the majority of us stopped watching Comcast SportsNet some time ago. I will never be interested in what’s going on with Albert Haynesworth or Clinton Portis-unless they suddenly don purple and black.

Washington is a big market. It’s understandable for a Top 10 media market to look desirable to folks in the 22nd largest media market in the country.

But it HAS to be understood that if you want to reach out to Baltimore, you must accept that we hate the Redskins. It makes our stomach turn. Paul Tagliabue tried to keep the NFL out of our town and force us to watch the Redskins play the Phoenix Cardinals on a Sunday afternoon when we could have been watching the Green Bay Packers play the San Francisco 49ers.

Washington fans got over Peter Angelos trying to block MLB in the district. But Washington fans aren’t blue collar, diehard, live or die passionate fans. Folks who aren’t from Baltimore won’t understand that. There is no “getting over” our anger towards Washington. We’re reminded of it on a daily basis. When Jimmy Buffett comes to town this summer, I’m going to be told that I can see him “locally” at Nissan Pavilion in Bristow.

I’m not “getting over it.”

And if MASN is going to succeed and make fans in Baltimore, they’re going to have to understand that. It isn’t cute to put John Riggins next to someone who you obviously hand-picked for his resemblence to Art Modell. It isn’t okay to put together an audio clip that sounds an awful lot like “Hail to the Redskins” while you’re filming at the stadium that represents the best thing this entire city has going for it.

It works in Washington. It doesn’t work in Baltimore. In Baltimore, it is COMPLETELY unacceptable.

Film the next commercial at Wilde Lake High School, or in College Park.

There have been multiple different reports regarding the future of Maryland Athletic Director Debbie Yow tonight, and I will do my best to pass along what we know.

According to a source, Yow IS on her way to North Carolina Friday to meet with North Carolina State officials. She is expected to accept the Athletic Director position in Raleigh, where she will replace outgoing AD Lee Fowler.

The Washington Post cited Maryland associate AD Kathleen Worthington in saying that no contract has been signed. That being said, sources have indicated to WNST that the decision has been made.

According to InsideMDSports.com, Yow offered an “emotional” address to Terrapin Club members at a previously scheduled meeting Thursday night.

Rumors regarding Yow’s potential interested in the position at NC State began immediately after Fowler announced his resignation. Yow has clear emotional ties to NCSU, as her late sister Kay Yow coached the Wolfpack Women’s basketball program from 1975 until she died of breast cancer in 2009. Yow had previously denied interviewing for the NC State position to the Baltimore Sun, but was rumored to have interviewed earlier this month.

Yow’s departure would come at an interesting time in College Park. The University is still in the process of finding a replacement for school president C.D. Mote. A new president would likely want to be involved in the selection of a new athletic director. Ralph Friedgen is entering a year in which Debbie Yow had stated publicly she expected the football team to finish the season over .500; or his future would be in jeopardy. There is still a $1 million buyout in place should James Franklin NOT be named the next Terrapins football coach.

Yow’s legacy with the Terps will ultimately show that she presided over a very successful tenure in athletics history. Some would argue that Gary Williams won the 2001-2002 NCAA Basketball Championship in SPITE of Yow, while Yow was unarguably a crucial part of Brenda Frese’s women’s team winning the 2005-2006 NCAA Basketball Championship.

The InsideMDSports.com report indicates that Connecticut AD Jeff Hathaway would be considered a “prime target” to replace Yow, as Hathaway is a Maryland graduate. No timetable is expected for what will be a national search for a replacement.